. . . it's Boulez's conducting which most consistently engages the ear. He realizes the uncanny orchestral accompaniment to the third stanza of "Der Tamboursg'sell" and the pungent conclusion of "Revelge" with tremendous vividness. Boulez's Mahler has surely gained a degree of intensity over the years. But Thursday's program-opening Adagio from Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony confirmed that, rather than sacrificing his legendary intellectual rigor, Boulez has wedded it to a profound visceral understanding of this music. From the first pages, Boulez keeps the music under tight control, declining every opportunity to wallow in self-pity. Instead, Boulez seems to emphasize the strange ambivalence of the opening theme, using it as a springboard into a psychological world that's both elusive and rich. Yes, Mahler was known to find inspiration in dubious folk poems with a dodgy pedigree. But Boulez's carefully proportioned performances of Mahler's music testify to the unimpeachable emotional authenticity at the heart of the composer's work.

Pierre Boulez, without doubt one of the great musical minds of our time . . . His musical stature has only grown with his maturity . . . This performance had the hallmarks of the great Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra collaboration: precision of sound and tuning, transparency of texture with details being elucidated, flexibility of rhythm appropriate to this last of the great Viennese symphonists, but without being overwrought . . . Magdalena Kożená and Christian Gerhaher proved ideal for these songs, adjusting their voices to the needs of the straightforward folk texts. Both Ms. Kożená and Mr. Gerhaher used an extraordinary range of vocal colors . . . At the age of 85 Pierre Boulez is still going strong.

Kozena is every bit the star she was before, animating her roles with intense vocal and theatrical character . . . [Gerhaher is] delivering dramatic, full-bodied performances. No less a keepsake is the Adagio from Mahler's Tenth, a cool and insightful reading marked as before by overwhelming softness, piercing dissonance, and throat-grabbing peaks.

Clarity of expression becomes the purveyor of a tellingly dissonant climax securely placed between surrounding foothills of beauty, longing and poignancy. I'm hard-pressed to recall another performance, live or recorded, that has captured the essence of this elusive music so convincingly . . . In the songs, the orchestra provides a perfect foil to the two soloists . . . Christian Gerhaher nails every one of his songs with consummate understanding and projection, enhanced by a generous variety of tone and almost operatic engagement with the text . . . This disc represents a true jewel in the crown of Boulez's Mahler series.

Record Review /
Ian Julier,
International Record Review (London) / 01. October 2010

He sings a fine, affecting "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" and ends with an equally satisfying "Wunderhorn" group . . . that Housman-like tale is here most sympathetically unfolded . . . Michael Tilson Thomas, an instinctive Mahlerian, conjures throughout playing of pedigree and point from his San Francisco players.

. . . Boulez unearths an astonishing level of musical detail from these miniatures, navigating the competing pulls of nostalgia and progressivism which competed for Mahler's inspiration even at the relatively early stage when many of the songs were written. He also has two superb singers: Both Kożená and Gerhaher give an almost expressionistic intensity to their espective songs . . . the orchestra plays it beautifully . . . this is a terrific endpoint for Boulez's highly rewarding journey through Mahlerżs world.

Record Review /
David Weininger,
Boston Globe / 05. December 2010

Boulez's work is an unalloyed delight . . . Kozená shows great versatility in her six numbers. "Lob des hohen Verstandes," that silly sketch about the cuckoo and the nightingale holding a singing contest, is good-humored without cheesiness, while at the other extreme the emotionally devastating "Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen" gets one of the best performances on recordings. It's touching from the very first notes; Kozená then switches to a purer tone for the young suitor before matching the fantastical violin glissando on the word "weinen."

. . . Kozená's light, quick vibrato is quite pleasing, as is her lush, mature mezzo. She is quite comfortable in this repertoire, and her characterizations are idiomatic and never overdone . . . Boulez accompanies with sensitivity, injecting lilt and lushness where it's needed and sounding properly martial for the songs that call for it. The sound is excellent for a live concert, and the Cleveland Orchestra sounds splendid . . . a very well-performed and generously filled disc.

[The recording] does have a lot to offer, especially Magdalena Kozená's glowing mezzo, a natural Mahler singer . . . it is the reading of the "Adagio" from the Tenth Symphony that I find most affecting . . . [Boulez] seems the perfect choice for [this score] . . . This is a wonderful reading . . . very fine sound and spectacular playing of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Record Review /
Steven Ritter,
Audiophile Audition / 04. April 2011

The unfinished Tenth Symphony is given a first-class performance by Boulez's Clevelanders, but it's the stunning, meticulous performances of Mahler's songs that make this unmissable.